


-REDACTED-

by JKRawlings



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Annie LeBlanc - Freeform, Bending the Rules of This Fandom, Comedy, F/F, F/M, Government stuff, Lowkey Internal Monologue, M/M, Not a Ship Heavy Story, Secret Threat, Sorry Not Sorry, Spy Stuff, Yes They are Only Kids, asher angel - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:55:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22932904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JKRawlings/pseuds/JKRawlings
Summary: July 26, 2019"You have one mission, and one mission only." I nod at the lead director's instruction."You will assume the alias, REDACTED. Remember this is strictly a reconnaissance mission. Do you understand Dov?" the director spoke sternly."Yes ma'am." I say."Okay. Briefing over. Your flight for Salt Lake City leaves in 30. Final destination is the small town of Shadyside Utah.""Affirmative commander." I salute and turn to leave the briefing room."One more thing, stay on task Dov." The director spoke, giving me that slight smirk that meant she really cares."Of course." I nod, leaving the briefing room. I'm not going to fuck this one up. I got this. I'm ready.••OR••Asher Angel is a top level spy who is sent to Shadyside to do some intel gathering.Distractions are guaranteed.
Relationships: Amber & Andi Mack, Buffy Driscoll & Marty, Cyrus Goodman & T. J. Kippen
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

July 26, 2019

_"You have one mission, and one mission only." I nod at the lead director's instruction._

_"You will assume the alias, Jonah Beck. Remember this is strictly a reconnaissance mission. Do you understand Dov?" the director spoke sternly._

_"Yes ma'am." I say._

_"Okay. Briefing over. Your flight for Salt Lake City leaves in 30. Final destination is the small town of Shadyside Utah."_

_"Affirmative commander." I salute and turn to leave the briefing room._

_"One more thing, stay on task Dov." The director spoke, giving me that slight smirk that meant she really cares._

_"Of course." I nod, leaving the briefing room. I'm not going to fuck this one up. I got this. I'm ready._

_———————————————————————_

_"Hey." Annie greets me, coming over to sit next to me on the plane._

_"Hey." I smile, leaning back in the seat._

_"Its a four hour flight, so get comfortable." Annie jokes. I nod in response, a slight grin tugging at my lips._

_"I plan on sleeping." I chuckle. Annie shot me a quick look, one that conveys how little she buys into my bullshit._

_"Okay. Asher the insomniac, sleeping on a plane." Annie scoffed, crossing her leg as she begins to flip through a magazine._

_"Yeah. Insomniac. Perfect description, thanks." I roll my eyes with fake annoyance._

_"Get some rest sleepyhead, your partner says so." Annie's statement completely lacking enthusiasm._

_"Yes sir." I nod sarcastically, leaning my head back and slowly getting pulled into the embrace of sleep. The plane taking off._


	2. 1. - Take a Step, Deep Breath

_They say that scars are the past are the true reminders of the reality of the past. My past, is something I like to shy away from. But no matter how hard I try, I can never truly escape. And that's the reality of it._

•• ••

I keep having this reoccurring dream. It's definitely not a nightmare, but it still haunts me. I'm on stage in front of a large crowd. Singing. Dancing. The crowd cheering my name. It feels all too real. Too good to be true. And then someone calls for me from backstage. I hear my name loud a clear over the roar of the audience, the rumble of the bass over the speakers. The voice sounds... familiar. But as soon as I head backstage to see who it is-

"Asher, we just landed." Annie whispers, rustling me until I'm awake. "C'mon dummy, we have to get to the driver." I groggily rub my eyes, adjusting them to the cabin lights inside the jet.

"Ugh... then what." I groan, zipping my jacket up. "Don't we have to meet with... Kelly?"

"Wow, how attentive you must be. It's Judy, and she's your temporary "mom," so you better learn her name." Annie states, even going as far as doing the air quotes. God I missed my mom, my dad, my siblings, but this is my reality.

Deep breath, take a step.

"God, Merriam really has to come up with some better names. Judy? Really?" I scoff, I mean seriously though. It's like the head director watches all the cheesy ass soap operas on during the day, and just plucks names.

"Hey I actually like my code name. It's unique." Annie says matter-of-factly, slapping my wrist.

"Oh yeah?" I tease her, as we get off the jet. "What is it then?" 

"What's yours?" she fires right back.

"Nah... not so fast. What's yours Kit-Kat?" I'm not falling for this, she's definitely gonna laugh at me.

"Oh my God Asher, you're so immature, you know that." she giggles, playfully punching my arm. "It's Rhyme. Rhyme McAddams." 

"Rhyme?" I say in disbelief. "Well that's... unique. Merriam is giving you an interesting one, while I'm stuck with either rom-com names, or biblical names." 

"Aww, you gonna cry Baby Jesus." Annie teases me in return. I may have turned the slightest bit red from embarrassment... but she didn't notice. So in my opinion it never happened. 

"No." I pout.

"Lay it on me then Ashy-poo." Annie says expectantly.

"Jonah..." I mutter. "Beck."

"Ahh Jonah. Like Jonah... and the whale?" Annie laughs, almost uncontrollably.

"Yeah, laugh now, but you're going to be stuck with the misfortune of actually calling me by that." I smirk, thinking I've gained the upper hand in our little discussion.

"Yeah well you're now speaking to Rhyme." Annie smirks at me as we head off the runway and to the government driver. 

"And now that I think of it." Annie says to me while we get situated in the backseat of the black SUV. "Rhyme _rhymes_ with time. As in I don't have the _time_ to deal with you B.S. anymore Asher."

"Oh you love me." I refute.

"Mhm." Annie hums as she puts in her AirPods.

————————————————————

It was a 45 minute drive from the airport to _Shadyside._ The whole time, Annie refused to make eye contact with me. She does this weird ritual thing where she "gets into character" before we enter a active mission area. It usually consists of her listening to average teenage girl music, so, to this day, I still don't understand why she insists on calling it a ritual. When in reality, she isn't doing anything out of the ordinary. I look up from my phone right before we get dropped off. As we turn the corner, the driver pulls in front of... an apartment building? Oh hell naw...

"Uh..." I hesitate, looking down at the driver's badge. "Richard... you sure this is the drop zone?"

"Get out kid." Richard replies in a nasty tone. I roll my eyes and grab my things from the trunk.

"That was rude. I see why 'Dick' is short for Richard." I grumble under my breath.

"You're terrible Jonah." Annie reprimands me. 

" Oh we're starting this now?" I ask incredulously.

"Mhm." Annie... or I mean, _Rhyme,_ hums, shooting me a shit eating grin.

"Okay Rhyme... lead the way!" I exclaim, making sure to sound extra peppy. Annie goes up to the buzzer and presses it. We both stand awkwardly, waiting for a response

Suddenly, a female voice comes over the speaker, "Jonah! I haven't seen you in so long! Come in! Apartment 401." and the door buzzes, letting us into the building.

After climbing 4 flights of stairs with a backpack, two suitcases, and a laptop bag, I was ready to collapse at the top.

"Okay... 40..1" I say, tracing over the number plaque on the door. I give it a good knock, the door swinging open almost immediately.

"Hey! Come in you two." Judy says, pulling us in quickly. 

As soon as we're in the apartment, Judy's false enthusiasm dissipates. "Okay, Asher you're room is down the hall to the right. Annie, Katie is out getting coffee right now, but your room is 405." I nod in response, heading to my room to set my stuff down.

Before heading back out to the kitchen, I glance over my assigned personality sheet one more time so I can knock this acting job out the park. Okay... so Jonah is supposed to be... athletic... bubbly... social... always happy..? **HAS PANIC ATTACKS!** Okay, Merriam is definitely making fun of me. It was only one time, and I was taking my Defensive Tactics Assessment the next day. Whatever... this is nothing I can't handle. I hope.

When I come back out, I see Judy talking to Annie, "Good, you're both here. So today is a Saturday, on Monday, you guys will start school at Grant." Judy says, stacking some papers on the kitchen counter. "For now, you two should go out into the town and make your presence... known." Annie and I nod and head for the door.

Once we're out in the hallway, I exhale, "What a bitch." 

"Jonah! That's your mother you're talking about." Annie glares at me to get me to play along.

"But Rhyme... even after my long exhausting flight from Arizona, she was clearly giving me attitude." I sigh dramatically.

"Why aren't you smiling Jonah, everything's good right?" Annie says through gritted teeth. 

"Oh yeah... just peachy." I mentally face palm myself, forcing a bright smile.

"Jesus Christ, you have dimples!" Annie exclaimed, as we stepped out onto the sidewalk.

"Okay and..." I groan, mildly annoyed.

"I've never noticed them before, considering how you always look like your in a sour mood." she smirks. This banter is going to be the end of me, I'm calling it right now.

"I do not!" I snap back.

"Just smile Jonah, show off those blindingly white teeth, and those dimples." she teases, poking me right in my cheek.

"Whatever, I'm hungry." I mumble, and head for the restaurant down the street.

————————————————————

The Spoon huh? I could go for a classic diner milkshake right now. I push open the door, and Annie and I head for a booth in the back corner. Before the wait staff could even attend to us, some blonde kid steps up to our table.

"Hey, you two new or something?" He asks, an unreadable expression plastered on his face. 

"Uh... yeah?" I say, confusion flooding my mind. That was fast, I mean we landed like an hour ago and we're already having our first civilian interaction.

"Why?" Annie asks in a polite tone. I swear that she is just as confused as I am.

"You're in our booth." the boy says, suddenly a smaller boy emerges from behind him.

"Teej... we can just sit somewhere else this time." the smaller boy whines, shooting me and Annie an apologetic look.

"No Underdog, this is _our_ booth. I wanna-"

Before the taller boy could say another word, our waitress, a girl with long blonde hair, pushes him aside, "Move it Jag- Hi guys! Welcome to the Spoon, I'm Amber and I'll be you're waitress today. Can I start you guys off with some drinks?"

"Uh..." I can already tell that this is going to be one of _those_ towns.


	3. 2. - Downtown... With A Frown?

_With great power comes great responsibility... or that's what they say at least. The real question is did I have a choice? Where was I when the decision was made? It's like they put me in this box, and I'm just supposed to go along with... with this act? I guess that makes me just as crazy as the others._

•• ••

"Do you guys have strawberry milkshakes?" Annie speaks up from across the table. The waitress' glance is immediately directed to her, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Yeah..? We _are_ a diner- and I'm pretty sure milkshakes are standard at **ALL** diners." the waitress stares right at Annie leaving her speechless. She shifts uncomfortably in her seat as she skims through the menu one last time. 

"Okay... we'll have two." she says, handing the laminated paper menu to the waitress. 

"I- two?" I exclaim, looking directly at Annie. She then kicks my shin under the table and I hiss in pain for a second before nodding along with her. Hopefully my fake grin is enough to convey that I received her message, 'loud and clear.'

"Yes Jonah, _two_." Annie says through gritted teeth, her eyebrows furrowing and her eyes shooting me a hostile glare.

"Yep- uh- two. But make mine chocolate!" I say quickly, handing the waitress my menu as well.

She scribbles on her notepad before rolling her eyes and heading back into the kitchen. Annie pulls out her phone and begins scrolling while I sit there patiently waiting for an explanation. After a minute or so of silence, I dramatically lift my leg up to rub my shin.

"Ahhhh..." I exhale, making sure to get her attention. She doesn't budge. "You know Anns, that really hurt." I chuckle nervously.

Her eyes flit up to meet mine before returning back to her phone. I sigh in defeat and decide to pull out my phone as well. 

Annie can be fierce, especially under the pressure of a mission, but this is strictly reconnaissance. At least for now. So why is she being so... aggressive? I mean, I love her - as a friend of course - but this unnecessary attitude really gets on my nerves. We're literally at a small town spot ordering shakes, nothing major. 

I swipe through my emails, sending most of them to the trash. When I'm done clearing through my inbox, I go to my 'Saved Mail' tab and wait patiently for it to load. The first email that pops up is from my real mom, Coco, wishing me luck on our new assignment, and obviously hoping for me to return safely. As I reach the bottom of the email, I feel a light tap on my shoulder from the booth behind me.

"Hey- um- sorry to bother you." I turn around to see the shorter boy from earlier.

"Hey- uh- what's up? I respond, genuinely confused.

"You see... I just wanted to, y'know, apologize for earlier." he looks overly nervous and apologetic.

"Nah, you're good dude." I nod. 

"My boyfriend lost his basketball game earlier today, and that puts him in this mood. He used to be like this but he's a changed man now- I swear-"

"Dude." my tone drops, "it's fine." I shoot him a quick and awkward smile before turning back around to face a giggling Annie.

"What?" I raise an eyebrow, "Oh _ha ha,_ where's the punchline?"

"It's nothing, honestly." she says through staggered laughs.

Before I can respond, the waitress returns with our milkshakes, plopping two straws down on the table and walking off. Annie immediately unwraps her straw and dunks it into the glass, beginning to sip away.

"What's up with her?" I scoff, Annie shrugs while she continues to sip on her shake.

"That's Amber." the boy whispers from behind me, causing me to jump a little, "She also can be a tad moody." 

"Gotcha'." I say awkwardly, turning away from him. 

Suddenly a bell rings and the front door to the restaurant swings open. An Asian-American pixie haired girl struts in.

"Amber!" she yells, pretty much alerting the entire diner.

"Bambi!" Amber yells from behind the counter. They approach each other and then proceed to pull each other into a tight hug. 

"What's up with the theatrics around here?" I say, rolling my eyes and leaning across the table. Instead of getting a response from Annie, the kid behind me pipes up.

"Oh no this is normal. This _is_ Shadyside after all." he says all matter-of-factly.

"And let me guess, you must be the tour guide around here, huh?" I snap, sarcastically. The boy shrinks in his seat, giving me a front row seat to - what is presumably his boyfriend's - stoic glare. The taller, blonde boy pops a tater tot into his mouth and chews it slowly, not once breaking eye contact with me. 

"That's it! I'm done." I stand up from the booth and make my way to the exit. "This small town shit isn't for me." I let out an exaggerated and crazed laugh, probably looking insane in the process. Before I can reach for the door knob, the door swings open again, and a girl with big curly hair pushes into me. 

"Hey, watch it!" she huffs, being followed in by another boy.

After being shoved aside, I leave the diner and begin to walk along the sidewalk _alone_. 

————————————————————

About fifteen minutes of walking through the town and observing the various storefronts, I stumble upon a record store. I have always been a sucker for music, it’s kinda’ my guilty pleasure. I approach the entrance and reach for the door handle. As I walk in, there is a set of couches to my left, followed by a vintage records stand behind it. To my right I can see three booths, each with their own turntables and headphones. Directly in front of me, to the left of the counter, is a tiny stage with a beautiful acoustic guitar resting on a stand. 

I cautiously look around the store, and to my surprise, it’s completely empty. The brief thought of going through the cash register flashes through my mind, but I shake it off, instead approaching the guitar on the stage. Besides the guitar stand, is a black stool. I sit down on the stool, carefully pick up the guitar, and rest it on my thigh. I adjust my grip on the strings that run down the neck, before closing my eyes and letting out a deep exhale. I strum away, messing around and playing short little melodies strictly from memory. With my eyes closed, I kept playing, adding words here and there, humming along to the chords, and entering a deep state of relaxation. As my playing come to an end, I open my eyes slowly, only to hear an applause. Right in front of me is a long-haired man, applauding and smiling brightly.

“Ahhh!” I yelp, placing the guitar back on the stand and quickly getting up off of the stool. “I- I am so sorry. I didn’t see anyone in here! I shouldn’t have-“

“Chillax dude! That was amazing.” The man exclaims, cutting me off mid-sentence. 

“It- it was?” I say, shocked.

“Yeah man, you obviously play, right?” the man asks, lifting up the guitar and inspecting it.

“Ye- yeah I do.” I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to expect.

“Wait. I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. And I’m in here everyday.” the man raises an eyebrow at me.

“I’m- uh- new to town.” I say quietly, lowering my head.

“Ah, I figured. Welp, I’m Bowie... the shopkeep around here.” the man chuckles, extending a hand.

“I’m- uh- Ash- Jonah.” I say quickly, shaking Bowie’s hand.

“Well Jonah, every Friday, we have an open-mic night here so... if you wanna’ stop by...” Bowie says persuasively.

“Yeah uh... I’ll definitely consider it.” 

“You leaving?” Bowie asks.

“Yeah, Imma’ head out now. Nice meeting you though.” I say awkwardly as I head for the exit.

“Alright, take care.” I hear as the door shuts behind me. 

_Well that was fucking dumb._

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!! I always love hearing feedback. Also... if you drop some Kudos I will climb Mt. Everest and post it on YT.
> 
> Tumblr - ItzJKRawlings


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